The invention relates to polymers and oligomers, methods of their synthesis, and electronic devices comprising them.
The present invention is directed to polymeric compositions useful in producing electronic devices. It is an object of the present invention to produce stable compositions capable of functioning in a wide variety of electronic devices.
Novel features and advantages of the present invention, in addition to those mentioned above, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following description or from practice of the invention.
The present invention includes compositions of matter including polymers, oligomer and their constituent monomeric units. The present invention also includes methods of making the compositions and devices made therefrom.
The present invention includes a composition of matter comprising a polymer of the general structure: 
wherein the R1 substituents are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl groups, alkoxy groups, and aryl groups;
the R2 substituents are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl groups, alkoxy groups, and aryl groups;
the R3 substituents are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl groups, alkoxy groups, and aryl groups;
wherein bonds A and B may independently be either ortho, meta or para with respect to the pyridyl nitrogen;
wherein bonds C and D may be either ortho, meta or para with respect one another;
and wherein bonds E and F may be either ortho, meta or para with respect one another; wherein Y may be a moiety selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94(CH2)xxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CH2)xOxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94O(CH2)xxe2x80x94 and xe2x80x94O(CH2)xOxe2x80x94 wherein x is an integer in the range of 1 to 15 inclusive; and
wherein n is an integer greater than 1.
The R2 substituent is preferably a methoxy group with most preferably at least two R2 substituents being methoxy groups. The R3 substituent is preferably a methoxy group with most preferably at least two R3 substituents being methoxy groups.
It is preferred that the vinyl linkages A and B attach at positions ortho to the pyridyl nitrogen. It is also preferred that bonds C and D be para with respect one another, and that E and F be para with respect one another.
It is also preferred that x be an integer in the range of 1 to 6 inclusive.
These block co-polymers may have geometries and substituents, as do the oligomers from which they are derived, as described above.
The compositions of the present invention may be used to fabricate a wide variety of electronic devices, such as those that may be made in accordance with known production procedures. These devices include polymeric light emitting devices, including mono- and multi-color devices, color-variable devices, infrared-emitting devices; so-called SCALE devices, including two-color and multi-color SCALE deveices. Other devices in which compositions of the present invention may be used include photovoltaic devices and polymer-based transistors. Examples of these devices that are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,004,681; 5,955,834; 5,858,561; 5,663,573 and several co-pending patent applications Ser. Nos. 09/041,337; 08/902,145; 08/901,888 and 60/187,278, all of which patents and patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The compositions of the present invention may be ambipolar such that they may be used in layered polymeric devices, and may form part of as electron- or hole-transmissive materials and/or light emitting layers, in accordance with known arrangements. The compositions may also be used as components of blends in the devices described above.